Beast Knights
by dreamcoloredgift
Summary: A presence even more sinister than that of Soushu threatens to destroy the peace that Yuri strive hard to achieve over the years. In their quest to deal with the forthcoming danger, it's not just the 4,000 year-old secret of a mysterious kingdom that they managed to unravel but also a well-kept past belonging to its royal family and Conrad. ConradOC; GwendalOC
1. Premonition Of A New Danger

**BEAST KNIGHTS**

 _ **SUMMARY:**_ _A presence even more sinister than that of Soushu threatens to destroy the peace that Yuri strived hard to achieve. In their quest to deal with the forthcoming danger, it's not just the 4,000 year-old secret of a mysterious kingdom that they managed to unravel but also a well-kept past belonging to its royal family and Conrad._

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _This will be another KKM fanfic that I decided to write after a long time, while working on some manuscripts to be passed to a publishing house. It's not exactly easy, but I really missed writing fanfictions. I neglected it for a year (I guess) and it kind of made me sad. Anyway, I hope you'll like it. This will be a Conrad/OC and Gwendal/OC fanfiction set three months after the timeline in the 3_ _rd_ _season._

 _ **Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness).**_

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

 **CHAPTER 1 – Premonition Of A New Danger**

"This is why I hate studying," a tired-looking Yuri complained as soon as he found Murata already eating snacks on one of the benches outside his school. "They drain everything in your brain during the exam."

"You always say that, Shibuya. And to think we haven't been reviewing for the midterm exam," Murata calmly stated as he continued eating.

"That, too." Yuri groaned. Seriously, his brain haven't even recovered from the last exam he had and here comes another one. "If Mari-san haven't been helping me out even though she was an Art student at the university and extremely busy with kendo club, I guess I wouldn't be able to handle this."

"Ah. You mean Akiyama-san? I guess she'd taken a liking to you ever since watching you play at the baseball tournament last year."

Yuri could only laugh at that. The senpai he was talking about was a high school friend of Shori that he met a year before he became the Maoh. Since then, she didn't fail to help him out, especially when it comes to his studies. In fact, Akiyama Mari acted like an older sister to him. Besides the fact that they were neighbors, of course.

"It would've been nice if Mari-san became Shori's girlfriend," he commented but soon let out a chuckle. "But then, that would've cause a disaster knowing Mari-san could do kendo."

"You're right. But I heard that Natsukawa-san and your older brother are always seen together, despite taking different courses there," Murata said as soon as he was finished chewing his food. "You know about that, right?"

"Well, that's a given. Chie-san is Shori's childhood friend. But we never got to talk that much, though. One thing I know about her, she's really caring and can be quite scary at times. And that she's an archery club member since high school."

The two boys continued their conversation over a few minutes of snacks before dealing with that day's afternoon class. It was a habit they've taken all this time ever since Yuri became the Maoh. And to think three months had already passed since that time he defeated Geneus. Who would've thought that he would still be able to come back to Earth after originally fearing that he won't be able to return home.

At that moment, however, something came up in his mind.

"By the way, did you feel a really agitating, powerful presence while we're coming back here the other day?"

That was when Murata froze to his spot as his eyes widened. Yuri knew that question had caught him off-guard, but he remained intently staring at his friend. Soon after, Murata's expression turned grave upon facing him.

"If you felt it while we're crossing dimensions, that means the danger is already at bay," Murata mysteriously responded.

As usual, it confused him. But he could feel the severity of the situation as soon as Murata said the word "danger".

"Wait a minute. You don't mean…?"

All Murata did was to nod without losing the grave expression on his face. "We need to go back to Shin Makoku as soon as possible before something worse happens. We have to prevent it while we can."

"Prevent what?"

Both boys were surprised upon hearing that question coming from a female possibly standing behind them. When they turned around, they saw Yuri's tutor Akiyama Mari who also possessed black eyes and black hair just like him and Murata.

"What are you two discussing?" Mari asked innocently.

Yuri could've laughed nervously but didn't have the guts to do so for some reason.

"Prevent Shibuya from failing the midterm exam," Murata immediately answered with a grin. Yuri only glared at his friend for saying such a lie. But then, that would probably help them escape an interrogation.

"Isn't that supposed to be my job?" Mari said with a smile and patted Yuri's head. "But don't pressure yourself about it yet, okay? We still have a month and a half to review and prepare for that. I'll help you with it."

"T-thank you, Mari-san." Yuri heaved a sigh soon after. When he looked up, he saw another of his brother's friend (and possible future girlfriend), the sandy brown-haired Natsukawa Chie beside Mari waved at him. He returned the gesture to the brunette with a smile. "How are you, Chie-san? I haven't seen you in a month."

"Well, I've been busy with so many things at the university and the archery club, but I can handle it," Chie answered. "I hope Mari here isn't giving you a hard time."

"You're being mean again, Chie. I'm being a good tutor and older sister here to Yuri, you know," Mari whined.

Both Murata and Yuri could just laugh at the antics displayed in front of them. Same goes to Shori's other friends namely Fuyumine Nobu and Harusaki Rina whom they also met and befriended, as well. In fact, from what Yuri knew, Rina had always been Murata's senpai and mentor. Nobu could only sigh and shake his head.

"Oh, well. At least Yuri and Ken wouldn't have to worry about anything related to exams when they have reliable mentors like us to help them through," Rina said which earned him a wide smile from Murata.

"Yeah. Just don't fill their heads with too much information or they won't even make it to the day of the exam if that happens," Nobu nonchalantly added which earned him glares from the three girls.

At the very least, the people important to them had made them smile like this for a while. That is, before they faced a certain danger that, unknown to them, would unveil several secrets enough to change their lives forever.

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

Well, the day at the school went pretty much uneventful, just like the class that Yuri attended to. And just as he dreaded, his teacher reminded them of the upcoming midterm exam. He was only able to heave a sigh of relief when Mari promised that she would help him study. This was something that Yuri truly felt glad about Shori's friends. Despite the age and course differences, they would still be there to help him.

Just what Murata said before, it felt like they've found older sisters through their female mentors Mari, Rina, and Chie. And a second older brother through Nobu.

But his thoughts soon shifted to a more serious issue upon remembering that agitating presence that nearly distracted him from crossing dimensions. And Murata's reaction when he mentioned it… Something told the young Maoh that he had to heed Murata's words for them to return to Shin Makoku because of a danger that was already at bay.

Whatever that "danger" was, he knew it was big.

The next day, after finally allowing Shori to come along with them because he somehow forced Yuri and Murata, the three of them headed to Shin Makoku. And as expected, Ulrike, Günter, Wolfram, and Conrad were already there at the Shinou Temple's fountain waiting for them.

"Why do I have a feeling that you're already expecting to see Shori tagging along with us?" Yuri asked that seemed to be a form of statement rather than a question as he took one of the towels that Conrad handed to them. He asked that because he saw Conrad holding 3 towels instead of just the usual two.

"Ulrike told us. It appeared that His Majesty Shinou informed His Eminence to just accept Shori's decision to come along with the two of you should he actually decide to come," Günter explained with the said Genshi Miko supporting it with a small nod.

"Hmm… Now that's rare," Yuri could only comment as he continued drying himself.

One thing he noticed, though, was that Murata hadn't said anything since they arrived. His friend's stare seemed to be far off. He sighed before speaking.

"What are you thinking right now, Murata?"

The said Daikenja pushed back his glasses and soon faced Yuri. Of course, it took the Maoh aback since there was something different about the way his friend was looking at him. It could only mean one thing, though.

"You felt it again, didn't you? That agitating presence?" Murata inquired in a grave tone.

It left Shori and the others confused, but Yuri only stared at Murata in the same somber expression. "It was fleeting, but I definitely felt it again. It was the same."

"What are you talking about, Yuri?" Wolfram immediately asked but didn't receive any reply from the Maoh.

After that, Murata faced Conrad and Günter. "Did anything bizzare happen here while we were gone?"

It was a direct question that surprised the two aforementioned men for a few moments before their expressions became serious. Even Wolfram understood what the question meant.

"There's no escaping your insight, Your Grace," Conrad said which broke the tensed silence. Soon after, the soldier faced both Yuri and Murata. "There had been several reports from outside the capital about strange creatures suddenly appearing and attacking villages in Shin Makoku. Thankfully, no one was killed during the incidents but damages to properties and several injuries among the townfolks were reported. We're still trying to find out where could they come from."

"As I thought," Murata muttered that Yuri and Shori heard.

"What was that supposed to mean, my younger brother's friend?"

But Murata chose not to answer that question from Shori at the moment. Yuri took his friend's silence as an opportunity to ask something to his subjects. "Did the reports mention anything about the creatures attacking villages, especially what they looked like?"

"They all looked the same, if you ask me. The one thing that's common from all the five reported attacks were the creatures attacking in groups of 10 to 15."

"All of the creatures attacking seems to be capable of one thing and that is to grow out blades from their arms and use it to attack the villages. They were twice the height of an average Mazoku, as reported. That's why it's quite hard to defeat them all," Günter added.

"Grow out blades? Then they're truly dangerous to deal with," Shori said in near panic. "Then you're saying that using majutsu isn't enough to deal with these creatures, as well?"

"They could still take them down using majutsu. It's just a question of how long will the maryoku users be able to handle them and defeat it all easily," Murata stated.

Though they wanted to ask what Murata could possibly mean to what he said, Günter intercepted it by saying that the three arrivals should change first before continuing the discussion. It didn't take them long to do that, though. As soon as Yuri was done changing, he coaxed Murata to contiue what he was saying.

"Like what I said earlier, they could still take them down using majutsu or even houjutsu. But these living puppets, as I can tell, haven't even assumed their full form yet. Or worse, haven't been made fully aware of their true functions," Murata said in continuation to his earlier words.

"Then you're saying that they would still strike? And do something worse than just destroying villages?"

Murata gravely nodded. "One thing I'm fearing to happen is when the time comes that those puppets wouldn't just destroy villages as they appear, but also murder people."

Of course, those who heard it were truly surprised, even Yuri and Shori. Murata maintained his somber expression. But Yuri noticed something else.

"There's still a way, isn't it, Murata?" Yuri started that soon shifted his friend's attention to him. "A way to stop these puppets for good."

The Daikenja remained silent for a few moments as he and Yuri were in a staring contest. For some reason, Yuri could pretty much tell what this guy was thinking, unlike before. But then, all he could think about at the moment was the safety of his people and the humans also living in the attacked villages. He wouldn't let some destructive puppets, as you call it, do as they pleased just to destroy everything he strive hard for.

Murata sighed soon after and gave a weak, but still a reassuring smile. "It's really weird of you to easily figure out what I was thinking, Shibuya. But yes, there's still a way."

Yuri's face lit up upon hearing that. "Really?"

"Yes, really. But we just got one problem, though."

With that, Yuri's expression turned to confusion, then to a somber one again. "What do you mean?"

"The only people who are completely aware and knowledgeable about our troublesome puppets' functions and true purpose aren't exactly easy to contact. To be honest, from what I gathered all this time, they hadn't made contact with any of the Mazoku even before the war with the humans 20 years ago," Murata explained.

But before Yuri could even comment about Murata's explanation, Conrad suddenly spoke.

"Your Grace, could it be… that you're talking about the Beast Knights from the Kingdom of Esovia?"


	2. The One Who Could Help

**BEAST KNIGHTS**

 _ **SUMMARY:**_ _A presence even more sinister than that of Soushu threatens to destroy the peace that Yuri strived hard to achieve. In their quest to deal with the forthcoming danger, it's not just the 4,000-year-old secret of a mysterious kingdom that they managed to unravel but also a well-kept past belonging to its royal family and Conrad._

 _ **Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness).**_

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

 **CHAPTER 2 – The One Who Could Help**

"Kingdom of Esovia? That's the first time I've heard of it," Yuri commented as soon as he noted the surprised look on Murata's face when Conrad asked that question.

Thankfully, his question somehow dissipated that slowly forming tensed atmosphere around them.

"That's because it was only known to most of the Mazoku as a myth. Only a chance encounter with one of the members of that kingdom's Central Aristocratic Family while I was travelling with my father when I was young that I realized it truly exists," Conrad answered which earned him a nod from Murata, as if finally understanding something.

"So that's how you found out about that kingdom. And here I thought they hadn't made contact with any of the Mazoku around here," Murata said.

"They still hadn't, Your Grace. No one knows it exists, aside from a very few Mazoku that they trusted to keep it a secret."

"And I presume Ulrike isn't one of those chosen few," Shori said.

Conrad nodded. "I don't know how or why but the people of that kingdom, especially the Beast Knights, somehow possess the ability to conceal their presence from a Genshi Miko even though they're quite near."

"Is that even possible, Murata?" Yuri asked as soon as he found the chance. He couldn't help feeling a little bit of an outcast because of the discussion. But then, it wasn't just him who felt that way.

"Only the Beast Knights can do it, Shibuya. Probably because their Beast Spirits were the ones concealing their presence."

"Your Grace, what kind of people are these Beast Knights that you're talking about?" This time, it was Günter who asked that question.

Murata only let out a heavy sigh that Yuri had found weird. His friend had been doing that for quite a while now. What in the world was going on?

"Murata, what's wrong? You've been acting weird ever since I mentioned about the presence I felt when we went back to Earth that day." Yuri couldn't take his friend's weird actions lately and he wanted to know what was really going on. He doesn't want to be left behind just because he was also trying to learn what he could about his kingdom.

"The truth is, I already felt that presence even before we went back to Earth. Though at the time, I wasn't sure if it was similar to the sinister presence I felt 4,000 years ago. A presence similar to that of the Soushu," Murata stated gravely which truly surprised the rest of them. "But unlike Soushu, this sinister presence has a physical form. That presence belongs to the mortal enemy of the Beast Knights."

"Then what exactly are these Beast Knights?" Wolfram asked in exasperation.

"They're Mazoku like us. But they're usually known even in the past as the Esovian Mazoku, in reference to the name of their kingdom where they all reside. Their most noteworthy characteritics that separates the Esovian Mazoku and the Mazoku of Shin Makoku from each other is the source of their powers."

"The source of their powers? You mean, they're not using maryoku?" Günter asked, hoping this time, it would be answered.

Murata faced the Maoh's advisor and gently shook his head. "They still possess maryoku—or at least selected people among them. And it's in its greatest amount, if you ask me. But instead of making a pact with the elements, they're making a pact with the Beast Spirits. These entities are said to be the guardians of their kingdom's founders. Six of the Beast Spirits known at the time were regarded as the most powerful and whoever were chosen to make a pact with them would become the guardians of the Kingdom of Esovia and were the given the title 'Beast Knights'."

The information left the others quite amazed that Murata couldn't help but to smile. But it was only for a few moments. His face soon became somber once again.

"Your Grace…" Conrad called out as soon as he noticed that.

"From what I can see right now, only the Beast Knights can provide us the help we need to defeat our troublesome puppets. It won't be easy for us to destroy it from the roots when we barely know anything about these creatures and its sources."

That was the time Yuri decided to ask something. "Conrad, you said you encountered someone a long time ago that made you realize the existence of the Kingdom of Esovia, right?"

Though slightly puzzled as to why Yuri would ask such a question, Conrad nodded in reply.

"Does that mean you know where the kingdom is located?" Yuri continued.

No words came from the soldier, though. It wasn't that obvious but Wolfram and Günter could see hesitation in Conrad's eyes. It didn't take long before Yuri, Murata and even Shori noticed it, as well.

"Conrad?" Yuri ventured. Did he say something wrong?

It startled Conrad, and soon after, noticed that everybody was staring at him. Honestly, it only made him feel unconfortable but he remained steady. "What's the matter?"

"It looked like I said something wrong, huh?" After that, Yuri smiled sheepishly.

To Yuri's surprise, Conrad shook his head and smiled. "It's not that, Your Majesty. I actually made a promise to the Beast Knight I met at that time that I won't reveal what I know about that person and even the kingdom to anyone."

"T-the one you met was a Beast Knight?!" Yuri exclaimed.

Conrad nodded. "That person was known that time as the Wind Tiger Knight."

"Wind? You mean, that Beast Knight was a wind arts practitioner?"

Again, Conrad nodded as a response to Murata's question. "But it's been so long since it happened. Even if I know the location now, there is a possibility that the island itself shifted to a new spot."

"An island shifting its location? That's not possible. How could there even be an island like that?" Wolfram questioned with his hands on his waists.

"The island where the Kingdom of Esovia lies usually moves away from its spot every 125 years. It's been a part of the pact that the six founders made with the six Beast Spirits in order to protect the island's inhabitants from outsiders, especially those who desire the Beast Spirits' powers," Murata explained.

"That means the only way for us to know its current location, assuming that it already moved since the last time Conrad realized the place, would be to analyze the movement of the island over the last 4,000 years since the pact was made," Shori suggested that Murata agreed.

"But then… how are we supposed to do that?" And now, Yuri asked that question.

"There are still a few archives kept here in Shinou Temple depicting that. But I'll be needing help. Of course, we could also use Lord Weller's own information since it's the most recent piece of detail that would hopefully help us in locating the island," Murata said.

The others agreed to help. But one could still see that Conrad was hesitant about something. Because of the conversation about the Beast Knights, the rest didn't know that a 25-year-old painful memory that he had kept in his heart suddenly resurfaced. And now, it was incessantly plaguing his mind with memories of that one Wind Tiger Knight who never left his heart all this time.

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

One thing Yuri could tell, Conrad wasn't himself ever since the conversation about the Beast Knights was brought up. Perhaps the issue triggered a lot about… something from his godfather's past. Though he wanted to know the full story, at that point he really thought it was a bad idea.

And even if he really wanted to know the whole story, he didn't know who was the right person to ask. It also appeared that only Conrad knew the full story.

"What's wrong, Yuri?"

That innocent question coming from his adopted daughter Greta brought him out of his reverie. He smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just… thinking about something."

"About the Beast Knights again? We still have plenty of time to think about that tomorrow, you know. His Eminence would be bringing the books we need to know more about these guys from the Shinou Temple by tomorrow," Wolfram stated that he and Greta were getting ready to sleep and just waiting for Yuri to go to bed and finally rest for the day.

Though Yuri wanted to say something against that, he decided that it was for the best not to. Maybe he'd find another way to determine the truth he was looking for, even if it would appear that he was spying on Conrad's personal affairs.

He just hoped he wouldn't be scolded severely only because he let his curiosity get the best of him. As soon as he laid his tired body on the bed to finally have a good night sleep, that was the moment an idea hit him.

"That's it!" Yuri exclaimed that surprised Greta and Wolfram.

"What's it? What are you planning to do right now?" Wolfram narrowed his eyes as he asked that. His suspicion that Yuri was up to something again only intensified as soon as he saw the Maoh grin impishly.

"Just… something."

Okay. Now that turned out to be even scarier than Wolfram could think of.

What could Yuri possibly be up to now?


	3. Here's To In-Depth Information

**BEAST KNIGHTS**

 _ **SUMMARY:**_ _A presence even more sinister than that of Soushu threatens to destroy the peace that Yuri strived hard to achieve. In their quest to deal with the forthcoming danger, it's not just the 4,000-year-old secret of a mysterious kingdom that they managed to unravel but also a well-kept past belonging to its royal family and Conrad._

 _ **Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness).**_

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

 **CHAPTER 3 – Here's To In-Depth Information**

The idea that hit Yuri the other night never left his mind and made him quite energetic the next day as he woke up. And even though Wolfram was truly out to kill him (by strangulation) just to spill it out, he was adamant in keeping what he had thought as secret. It was already enough that he thought of using the demon mirror to learn about the Beast Knight that Conrad met before. Though it was a really good idea, Yuri still couldn't help feeling quite bad about actually prying on Conrad's secrets.

He was conflicted, he had to admit that. But even so, Yuri chose to go with the flow. It was the best idea that hit him. He could only hope that the demon mirror would agree to work with him the way he wanted to. Yes, the demon mirror could only be used by the Maoh. But there were times that it didn't actually let him see the exact past or future that he wanted to see. But rather the events that has immense relation to the vision he intended to see and visit.

That day, while waiting for Murata to come to the Blood Pledge Castle along with Günter and Shori with the books they were supposed to read, Yuri took it as a chance to get away for a while and finally implement his "brilliant" idea. Though as he entered the treasure room where the demon mirror was kept, he kept on muttering an apology to Conrad in his mind for doing what he thought of, even though the said soldier would not be able to hear it.

He just hoped doing this would finally sate his curiosity.

It didn't take him long to find the item he needed, though. He took the demon mirror from its place and stared at it for a few moments. At that point, he was still deciding on what kind of past does he actually wanted to see. Yes, it was still about Conrad. But does he wanted to see Conrad's past during the first time he met that Beast Knight or something else about that Beast Knight that the soldier never mentioned to them at all? Yuri wanted to be certain on that one in order to for him to see exactly what he wanted to know.

For a few moments, he debated about that in his mind. It didn't take him long to finally came up with a decision. With that, he closed his eyes and spoke the wish to the demon mirror in his mind. He'd better do this in silence since he doesn't want anyone to know what he intended to do.

 _Take my soul to the past and show me the time Conrad had met the Beast Knight controlling the wind element._

The demon mirror soon emitted a bright mint green light that surrounded the entire treasure room. Of course, with that kind of bright light surrounding the room, one was bound to find him in there doing something. But he'd worry about that later.

When Yuri opened his eyes, he found himself standing beneath a really big tree. It was night time and the stars shimmered brightly, signifying a good weather for the next day.

"Did the mirror take me to the right past?" Yuri mumbled to himself as he looked around. He grimaced at the thought of finding no one there. So where the hell was he? What kind of past was he looking at?

Yuri was about to groan in frustration when he saw someone walking from a distance. Though it was night time, he could still make out that the one walking—or more like trudging—was a girl who could be compared to a 11-12 years old human. But he could somehow tell that she was a Mazoku. Through the light coming from the moon, he even saw and commented on how beautiful the girl's long silvery green hair was and that she was wearing a sort of battle costume he'd usually see on RPG games.

"Wow… I wonded who she is. Even from where I stand, she still looked so beautiful," Yuri said to himself. And it wasn't a joke.

But soon after, worry filled him as he saw the reason why the girl was dragging herself instead of walking normally. He saw her left hand placed on her waist's right side that was bleeding. His eyes widened at the sight of it but he knew he won't be able to do anything since this past had already happened. He looked at his hands and saw that he was just a transparent being in that period. Just like the first time he activated the demon mirror and took him to the time when Susanna Julia was still alive.

He heaved a heavy sigh, still waiting for something to happen. He wasn't sure about what he'd be able to see there. But he was willing to wait. It didn't take long, though. From there, he saw another approaching silhouette—two of them, actually. They were riding a horse and perhaps trying to find a place to stay for the night.

To Yuri's surprise, one of the silhouette approached the bleeding girl. It was a boy who looked like a 12 years old human. But he could still tell that the boy was a Mazoku. Or at least, a half-Mazoku. Yes, he saw that the approaching silhouette belonged to the young Conrad.

"Then Conrad's companion must be his father, Dan Hiri Weller," Yuri mumbled as he looked at the taller figure. But that was just for a short while. He reverted his gaze back to Conrad who approached the girl who was now unconscious and lying on the ground, probably because of her wounds.

All Yuri could do was to watch the next events unfold in front of him in a blur. Before he knew it, he was already watching Conrad looking over the still unconscious but already treated young girl with worried expression.

"She'll be fine, son. Her wound isn't that bad," Dan Hiri said upon entering the tent.

But it looked like those words weren't enough to cease the young man's worries.

"I wonder how she got hurt like that. Someone must have been after her," Conrad muttered without removing his gaze from the girl.

"In any case, we might be able to know the truth about that once she wakes up. Of course, it's still up to her if she wanted to talk about that to us."

And so the father and son waited. But for Yuri, it also passed by in a blur that he didn't realize Conrad had actually waited for the girl to wake up for two hours before he too fell asleep beside her. It felt like a few moments for him. When she saw Conrad entered the tent, the boy smiled and almost immediately approached the silvery green-haired girl who was already conscious.

"Are you… the one who treated my wound?" the girl asked already silently. Conrad nodded. She looked down and muttered a 'thank you'.

"My father prepared breakfast for us. If you want, you can join us," Conrad said with a smile. It almost felt like he was excited, only trying to hide it.

If the girl was surprised or otherwise, Yuri couldn't tell. But he soon noticed a small smile carved on her face and nodded. "I'd like to."

As soon as she got up, she faced Conrad. "Is it okay… if I ask for your name? I'd like to know the name of the boy who took care of me this whole time."

Silence filled the air for a few moments but it wasn't a tensed. Conrad smiled once again. This time, he held out his hand to the girl before speaking. "Conrad Weller."

It didn't take long for her to take it and soon after, they shook hands along with exchanging smiles.

"Lyall Corliss Amrein. It's nice to meet you, Conrad," the girl introduced with a sweet smile on her face.

But as soon as the introduction was over, that was when a bright light surrounded the scenery and all Yuri could do was to cover his eyes with his arms. As soon as he felt that it faded, he opened his eyes. He found himself in the treasure room once more holding the demon mirror.

 _Lyall Corliss Amrein…_ "What a beautiful name…" But then, he asked himself. How come he only saw that past until the part where Conrad and the girl Lyall introduced themselves to each other? And then he remembered that he ordered the demon mirror to take his soul to the past when Conrad met the Beast Knight he mentioned to them yesterday.

That was when it came to him. That girl, Lyall, was the Beast Knight from Conrad's past. Then the injury he saw from Lyall that time must have been from when she was dealing with her own battle.

And now that he got the answer, though it surely wasn't enough to fill his curiosity, he returned the demon mirror from where he took it.

For now, there was still something that he needed to do.

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

"You're late, Shibuya," were the words that immediately greeted Yuri as he entered the library where he and Murata agreed to read the books his friend got out from Shinou Temple.

Well, he truly hoped that those books would help them analyzed the movement path of the island where the Kingdom of Esovia lies.

To his surprise, though, he found not only Murata and Shori there but also the three brothers, Anissina, Lady Cheri, Yozak, and Günter.

"Do we really need this many people to analyze the documents, Murata?" Not that he was complaining, but there seemed to be so many people to do this particular task.

Murata shrugged and shook his head. "All of them had taken interest in doing this ever since the topic about the Beast Knights was brought up yesterday. I can't blame them, though, since it was really an interesting myth to the Mazoku who knew them."

"Even Yozak is here. Aren't you supposed to be doing something somewhere else?"

"I just got back here, young master. Besides, it wasn't that bad if I participate in this. I heard that Conrad met this Beast Knight person before I met him. I've also heard various things about these people. But just like most of us, I also thought of it as a myth and nothing more," Yozak initially stated with a grin before slowly becoming serious.

"What kind of things did you hear about them?"

"For one thing, the Beast Knights were really connected to their Beast Spirits once they've made a pact with these entities. The Knights also ventured the human lands once in a while. Yet no one could ever realized that they were Mazoku, especially as Beast Knights. But the one thing that's truly interesting, though, was that each of the chosen Knight were descendants of the six original Beast Knights and inherited the memories of their ancestors, remembering it alongside their own memories as if it was their own," Yozak added that truly got the young king's interest.

"Really?"

"I've heard about it before. It's called inherited memories. Those are memories passed down from one selected descendant of that generation to another and allows them to remember it—feelings, experiences, and knowledge—as if it was their own. It's said that only the Esovian Mazoku who contained inherited memories of their Beast Knight ancestors was one of the factors of choosing the next Beast Knight," Murata soon explained.

"You mean it's different from having memories of a past life just like you, Murata?"

The Daikenja nodded. "It's completely different since inherited memories only limits to the descendants of the original person who had those memories. Memories of a reincarnated person such as myself came from different people, most of them weren't even related to each other." Murata soon faced Yozak. "Is there anything else that you heard about the Beast Knights that you might have possibly came across before?"

The said orange-haired spy thought about it for a moment or two before it hit him. "There was one that I came across a long time ago. I think it was after the war. There had been a legend told to a very few people about the number of the Beast Spirits considered to be the most powerful. What most of us knew is that there were six powerful Beast Spirits that soon helped the formation of the Kingdom of Esovia. These Beast Spirits were the ones choosing the warriors whom they deemed qualified to become Beast Knights to protect the kingdom. But there was one who also mentioned about a seventh Beast Spirit."

Now Yuri and the others frowned at that. "A seventh Beast Spirit?"

"This is where it gets intriguing and really interesting as the same time. This mysterious seventh Beast Spirit… is said to be something that obeys and only allows its powers to be controlled and used by the Maoh."

Seriously, that was something that not even the Daikenja had even heard before. It all came as a surprise to all of them.

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

 _ **Author's notes:**_ _The idea about inherited memories was something that came from another anime and manga that became my favorite called "Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha ViVid" which was the fourth season of the Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha anime franchise. So in other words, it's not mine, as well. It's a really interesting concept, if you ask me, but that's just it. Anyway, please review if you can._


	4. Tragic Tale Of The Last Royalty

**BEAST KNIGHTS**

 _ **SUMMARY:**_ _A presence even more sinister than that of Soushu threatens to destroy the peace that Yuri strived hard to achieve. In their quest to deal with the forthcoming danger, it's not just the 4,000-year-old secret of a mysterious kingdom that they managed to unravel but also a well-kept past belonging to its royal family and Conrad._

 _ **Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness).**_

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

 **CHAPTER 4 – Tragic Tale Of The Last Royalty**

For sure, this was one information that they haven't heard in any versions of the Beast Knights legends at all. It was truly a surprising piece of information.

"A Beast Spirit that can only be controlled and used by the Maoh? I thought only the Esovian Mazoku chosen to become a Beast Knight could do that," Yuri said as soon as he recovered.

But Yozak just shrugged while still maintaining his serious expression. "There wasn't a clear reference for this part of the legend, though. Besides, even verbal accounts about this particular Beast Spirit were completely scarce, so it could still be just a folklore and nothing more."

"Unless we encounter an Esovian Mazoku who was knowledgeable about the Beast Spirits and its true story, we can't fully rely on that information for now. Although we couldn't also remove the possibility that it's true," Murata suggested in a serious tone. "I'm not sure if we could analyze the movement of the island with this little references we have right now—" he stopped, glancing for a few moments at the books that he, Shori, and Günter brought from Shinou Temple. "—but we have no other choice. We have to do this if we want to protect Shin Makoku from these dangerous puppets."

The rest agreed with the Daikenja's suggestion and immediately began reading those books to garner at least some important information that they needed. But Yuri's attention shifted to Conrad soon after when he noticed the said soldier looking rather melancholic on the book that he was holding.

Conrad hadn't noticed his godson's look on him as his attention was focused on the book he immediately picked as soon as he saw the title engraved on its leather cover's spine.

 _Tale Of The Last Esovian Royalty_

But instead of starting to read it as soon as he picked it up, his mind traveled back to a certain time in his life when one person sadly told him the truth about that tale. That book could've held another story which was different from what he knew. For now, he could't tell.

And then Conrad opened it so he could read the contents, only to frown at what he had read on the first page.

 _This is the life I chose for the sake of my people, despite the curse that will kill us because of turning our backs on Shinou. My brother, I hope you'd be able to forgive me someday. If this would reach you or your retainers somehow, please remember these words I'm going to utter on my deathbed. The Beast Spirit that only obeys the true king chosen by the Beast Knights can the world be saved from impending destruction that all of us had feared since we obtained these powers. Choose the strongest king, my brother. Choose the rightful king who will save you and the other warriors from the dreadful curse that bound you all to ultimate darkness._

 _I, Yunsoo of the Min clan, will do what it takes in my remaining life to make it all happen. We can't let it all end as mere legends._

Before Conrad could even comprehend the words he had read from that book, he was soon surprised when Murata spoke beside him.

"No wonder you're caught up reading this. The way Lady Yunsoo had written these words will truly make you want to discover the truth behind this."

Conrad couldn't utter a word, however. So this book wasn't about the tale he knew. But nevertheless, Murata had a point. The words were truly enough to raise someone's curiosity as soon as the words on the first page was read.

"Yunsoo? Who's that? The name sounds Korean to me," Yuri inquired as soon as he heard it from Murata.

"People from the ancient Esovia does have names which sound Korean to us who came from Earth. But about 3,000 years ago, their diplomatic relationship with other countries, though scarcely selected, soon changed the way people in that kingdom were named. The Esovian royal and noble families never adopted Shin Makoku's way of naming themselves and their families even during Shinou's time, though."

Conrad silently handed the book he was holding to Murata as soon as the man asked his permission. "This book tells of an Esovian royalty that lived and ruled peacefully since the kingdom's foundation… until a deadly curse suddenly wiped them all out of existence. It happened more than a century after Shinou's death and that curse was said to be quite similar to how the Soushu corrupted Shinou's soul."

When Conrad heard that, it was no doubt that he was surprised. It was similar to the tale he knew about another last Esovian royalty from 25 years ago. Was it just a coincidence or was there a certain period of time that the curse (whatever that was) would take effect to wipe out an entire family?

"Then how come it was given such a title if the Esovian royalty still exists?" Günter asked as soon as the thought hit him.

"The reason this book was given such a title was probably because they thought no one among the members of the royal family survived the curse's outbreak. Lady Yunsoo, at the time, was a member of the Esovian royal court and the head scribe of the kingdom. She also served as a bodyguard to Lady Hyorin who was the queen of the Esovian Mazoku at the time. From the words she had written here, I could say that she was the one who found a survivor among the royal family after this book was published."

"If that was the case, she would've pulled the books out after finding the survivor and retracted the information she put in there," Shori said.

"Maybe she didn't do that to keep the survivor safe and protected. Besides, Lady Yunsoo was Queen Hyorin's bodyguard, which means it was also her duty to guard the people close and important to the queen. I don't know what happened after she died as soon as her duty was fulfilled to keep the royal survivor protected from various threats. But it seemed that another royal family was established after that. I don't know when it began but from what I can see, something had protected this new royal family from whatever curse that was powerful enough to wipe them out again," Murata explained as a response to Shori's words.

No words were said after that. Well, it was obvious that they had been pretty much absorbed by that extraordinary story of the Esovian royalty. It didn't take them long to recover from that. All of them soon returned to their task to read the book that could hopefully help them locate the island that became the Esovian Mazoku's home.

Or at least almost all of them returned to doing so. Conrad, however, had a different task set in his mind after hearing Murata's story basing from Lady Yunsoo's book. The word "brother" was the one thing that bothered him to some extent. Who was the brother she was talking about in this book?

"Would you mind if I take this book from you after you're done reading it? I want to show this to Shinou since I know he hadn't read anything related to the Esovian Mazoku even before he died," Murata ventured with that smile stuck on his face.

Of course, it told Conrad that _something_ was truly interesting about this book. And the smile on Murata's face… Somehow, he had a feeling that the Daikenja knew something he couldn't quite place yet. He wanted to know what it was without looking disgraceful.

"Your Grace, was it possible that Lady Yunsoo knew His Majesty Shinou personally?" Conrad ventured in a softest tone possible.

It seemed that Murata understood his intention to do that. The Daikenja nodded. "Shinou personally knew not just Lady Yunsoo, but also the other five founders of the Kingdom of Esovia. They were his friends, after all. Lady Hyorin of the Yi clan, Lord Namgi of the Han clan, Lady Jihae of the Shim clan, Lord Chunho of the Lee clan, Lady Yunsoo of the Min clan, and Lord Taewon of the Ryo clan—these are the six founders of the Kingdom of Esovia. They were also the original Beast Knights. In fact, those six people also helped with the war against Soushu 4,000 years ago. But the reason why they weren't mentioned in any of Shin Makoku's history books was because of a selfish request on Lady Yunsoo and Lord Chunho's parts. They feared that the powers of the Beast Spirits which they had acquired before the final confrontation would only cause destruction among their fellow Mazoku. And so they left Shinou dealing with his predicament about Soushu inhabiting him all on his own." The sad look on Murata's eyes was undeniable.

Conrad, however, couldn't say anything to console the Daikenja. He knew that words weren't enough to ease the pain that he had felt and had haunted him for 4,000 years.

"Possessing the power of the Beast Spirits and combining with that of a Mazoku's maryoku was like combining both maryoku and houryoku in one single vessel, which was completely lethal if not fully controlled. It was a questionable magic arts at the time both in terms of power and safety, as well. That was what the six Knights had feared all this time, which forced them to leave Shinou and Shin Makoku. But soon after, during the later stages of the construction of Blood Pledge Castle, Shinou and I learned that the six Beast Knights were dealing with another war that nearly took their lives if it wasn't for Shinou helping them. As to how he'd helped them that time, I had no idea until now," Murata continued and looked at the book that Conrad had opened on a certain page where a portrait of the woman with long mahogany brown hair tied in a single braid and red eyes was drawn on full page. She was wearing a quasi-Chinese silk robes in pastel blue and pink colors. "Even now, Shinou admired Yunsoo's style in clothing. If she hadn't been officially adopted to his family when she became an orphan, she would've been his wife, he said."

Now that had caught Conrad's attention, which made him face the young man. "Adopted? Then, Your Grace… You're saying that Lady Yunsoo was—"

Murata cut him off with a firm nod. "Lady Yunsoo was Shinou's adopted sister."

 **= x = x = x = x = x =**

The information gathering only took a full day, thanks to everyone's help. But the one they really wanted to thank was the final journal book that Lady Yunsoo had written. Most of the information written there enabled them to finally track down the movement of the magical island for the past 4,000 years.

After calculating and ascertaining its current location, Yuri ordered for them to head out to the island two days from now. Thankfully, there hadn't been reports about the puppets—which they learned from Lady Yunsoo's accounts were named Phantasma—attacking the villages outside the capital. Almost all of them agreed to Yuri's suggestion. It was just that the problem lies on who would accompany Yuri to the island. Well, Murata, Wolfram, and Conrad were a given. Shori, as well. After much deliberation, Gwendal was added to the list with Günter staying to protect Shin Makoku while the others were away.

Later that night, after making sure that the Maoh was resting, Conrad decided to stay outside the castle for a while. Until now, he still couldn't believe what he had heard from Murata about His Majesty and Lady Yunsoo's relationship. That could only mean the "brother" she was talking about on the first page was possibly His Majesty Shinou. A lot of things must have happened at the time that made her turn her back on Shinou at the most crucial times. He could imagine it, but perhaps he won't be able to understand anything about it no matter what.

Just as how Conrad had never understood the curse that took the life of the special friend in his childhood life—the Wind Tiger Knight he met a long time ago who was also the last princess of the Kingdom of Esovia who died 25 years ago. Yes, he deliberately left that part out when he told the others about the Beast Knight he met before. That was because the truth about Princess Lyall must not be known to others, as per her older brother's request. It was Klaus Elirch Amrein—the last prince of the Kingdom of Esovia—who requested that when the prince told him of what happened to Esovia three years after Lyall died.

Klaus told him that Lyall's death started a war with the Phantasma that attacked the kingdom in an attempt to use the princess' body and remaining powers as a source or core to produce more Phantasma to attack and take over the other kingdoms, as well. It was Queen Roheis—Klaus and Lyall's mother and the last queen—who prevented all that at the cost of her own life and the monarchy system of the Kingdom of Esovia.

From what Klaus told him for that last time, the kingdom would then be ruled by the leaders of the Five Aristocratic Families—Klaus included—since the monarchy system was completely abolished when Queen Roheis died. He didn't know how the kingdom fared and survived after that, though. For more than two decades, he hadn't seen Klaus at all or even heard anything more about the kingdom's situation.

Conrad found himself standing in front of his mother's flowerbed. He looked rather wistfully at the flower Conrad Stands Upon The Earth for a long time before raising his head to look at the full moon. He remembered the first time he met Lyall that night she was bleeding. It was a meeting that truly changed everything between them.

And it was a meeting that truly brought him even more pain as he recalled his regrets and what if's. It was magnified even more when Lyall died. He saw her suffered in so much pain, but she was still able to smile at him when he visited her at the Roseberke Castle for one final time. He tried his best not to breakdown in front of her but failed. After all, Lyall could see through him.

When he faced the flowerbed once more, he frowned at the sight of a flower he had never seen before vibrantly blooming beside Yuri's Innocence. Come to think of it, her mother had been pretty busy here lately. Could this flower be her new creation?

"Oh? And you've finally seen another of my beautiful flowers."

He turned around as soon as he heard that voice, which inwardly startled him. He smiled as soon as he saw his mother Lady Chérie approaching.

"Shouldn't you be resting by now, Mother? You're still planning to leave tomorrow for another of your free love trip."

"And let my son remember his special friend all alone here? I don't think I'd be able to sleep peacefully knowing that."

So Lady Chérie knew about that, huh? Nothing less from his mother. Conrad's gaze landed once again on the newest flower. The one feature he immediately noted about the flower was the petals' color. It has the same color as Lyall's hair—silvery green. It was an unusual color for a flower, if one would ask him. It was exuding a bright and vibrant vibe as it proudly bloomed tall.

" _Lyall's Effervescence…_ " Lady Chérie uttered wth a wistful smile which truly caught Conrad off guard.

Did his mother really name it after his special friend?

"This was supposed to be my birthday gift to her, you know. But the moment I heard from Klaus that she was really sick, I don't know what had gotten into me and just fell there. It felt like I was about to lose a child of my own. That girl's bright and bubbly demeanor even earned her a friend in Julia while trying to keep her identity a secret to everyone except to you and me. But even such contagious brightness was doomed to disappear in some ways. That's what I felt when I heard about Lyall's condition. So I thought that I'd create a flower that I would name after her as soon as she survived the ordeal," Lady Chérie explained before crouching down to hold the newest flower blooming on that flowerbed as gently as she could.

"In the end, it consumed her…" Conrad continued in a pained whisper. "But what made you decide to create this now?"

"Because I want to create something that will always remind me of her bright demeanor which had captured my heart the day you introduced her to me as a friend. Honestly, I don't think I'd ever find another girl like her who was completely suitable to be your wife. Oh, I even remember that day how she blushed heatedly when I told her that I want her as a daughter-in-law. It was such a beautiful and truly fascinating sight." Those words from Lady Chérie was followed by a giggle.

All Conrad did was to shake his head when he heard that from his mother. Then he recalled that there was an instance when Lyall couldn't even look at him straight in the eyes. He wondered endlessly as to what could've happened for that to occur.

After so many years, he finally knew the answer. True, it was just a memory that would remind him again of a sad tragedy. But he still couldn't help smiling at that.

"I know that heading to Esovia would only give you mixed feelings because of your connections to the last royal family," Lady Chérie continued, this time in a serious yet sad tone. "But I know Lyall wouldn't want you to keep holding on to the past. She doesn't want to see you so hurt after all this time. So try your best to be strong, okay? Don't let King Yuri see you in this pain that you've been bearing for 25 years."

Though Conrad knew where his mother's words would head to, he didn't stop her. She knew what he had been through, that was why she was telling him all this.

"I know that, Mother. But please, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He couldn't tell if it was enough as an assurance for his worried mother. But he would do what he said he would. He'd try his best.


	5. The Journey To Esovia Begins

**CHAPTER 5 - The Journey To Esovia Begins**

It didn't take Yuri and the others that long to prepare for the trip to the island where the Kingdom of Esovia was located. In fact, during the whole two days of waiting for the trip to finally come, Yuri couldn't stay in one place for long because of anxiety and excitement merged together. He would constantly go to the library or borrow some of the archives from the Shinou Temple to learn more about the Beast Knights and the Esovian Mazoku.

Murata wasn't lying when he said that the information about those people were scarce. Yuri couldn't tell if it was just out of luck that the priestesses or even the Daikenja was able to obtain records with regards to the topic.

But reality was still there. The Esovian Mazoku was definitely one hell of a guarded secret that even Murata admitted to Yuri one time. He didn't know what to say or even what to feel when he saw Murata's sadness. The founders of the Kingdom of Esovia must have had a soft spot in the Daikenja's heart that it hurt his friend when those six left Shin Makoku and let Shinou deal with his predicament on his own.

For the whole two days, as well, Yuri was always thinking of using the demon mirror once again to discover more about the Beast Knight Lyall and her relationship to Conrad. But at the end of the day, he didn't take a step inside the treasure room to use the said item. If he was regretting it because of that, he couldn't tell. But for sure, there was a part of him that told him it was just the right thing. That the truth would eventually expose itself when the time comes.

And finally, the time for them to depart came. As usual, Gunter was making a fuss about Yuri leaving. But Greta, Lady Cherie, and Anissina sent them all off with encouraging smiles.

The last one of the group to board the ship was Conrad, which was unusual in Yuri's opinion. Even the others thought of the same thing.

On the other hand, Conrad was aware that his companions who already boarded the ship was looking at him as he waited for Lady Cherie to finish reminding him of a few things for the last time, which was unusual. Really, his mother could be a worrywart at times. Yet knowing her, he could tell that she was clearly worried.

"Be careful, okay? Tell me everything that will happen as soon as you get there. And if you think you can visit her, then-"

"Mother," Conrad gently cut Lady Cherie's words. "I'll be alright. So please, you don't have to worry about me."

Lady Cherie heaved a sigh after that, a sign of giving up. Soon after, she handed Conrad a scroll. He couldn't help frowning at he reluctantly took it from his mother. "What is this?"

"You'll know when you opened it. But I want you to open it on the ship, when you feel like it," Lady Cherie answered mysteriously before quickly giving her son an understanding smile.

It only made Conrad feel confused all the more. His mother sure was acting weird. He couldn't tell if it was because she was worried about him or there could be more reason. But he just nodded as an assurance to Lady Cherie. The woman smiled and bid goodbye to her second son.

Yuri just remained watching until Conrad finally boarded the ship. The soldier was surprised to see Yuri's observing gaze but chose not to show it and just smiled. Though the young Maoh returned the gesture, something was still amiss. But in the end, Conrad chose to ignore it. Something must have been bothering Yuri for the Maoh to look at him like that.

What he didn't notice was the fact that it wasn't just Yuri who was observing him. There were Conrad's other companions, as well. Yozak and Gwendal, in particular, asked Murata if he knew the reason why Conrad was acting different ever since the topic about the Beast Knights were brought up. But just like the others, the Daikenja was also clueless about it. But from what Murata could tell, it appeared that Conrad held a greater connection to the Esovian Mazoku than what they could fathom. And Lady Cherie somehow knew that connection all this time.

The trip was an estimated four days and three nights travel by ship. Yes, the current location of the magical island was that far. Though most of Yuri's retainers were hesitating to travel that long while trying to remain alert for any possible Phantasma attacks, the Maoh remained resolute in getting the Beast Knights' help to solve the problem. They could only hope that no Phantasma would appear and attack again.

It was on the second night of the trip that Conrad finally decided to take a look at the content of the scroll that Lady Cherie had given to him. He didn't pay attention to it since they departed because they were all busy having a meeting on how they would convince the Beast Knights to help them. Since he and Murata were the only ones with close encounters to the Beast Knights, their opinions mattered. At that point, Conrad told the information that Klaus had given him for the last time, leaving everything related to Lyall and her death.

Because of that, they managed to devise a plan. Though they must admit that they had conflicting confidence as to how they would make it work, everything remained yet to be seen. Hopefully, Conrad could convince at least Klaus to give them his support.

Conrad sighed as he looked at the scroll that he was holding. But soon after, he frowned at the sight of a drawing visible on one corner of that paper. What was sketched there was a flower that he knew he had seen on his mother's flowerbed.

 _Seriously, Mother, I'm not sure what are you really trying to do with this one,_ he thought while slightly shaking his head. Lady Cherie had drawn the flower Lyall's Effervescence on that paper. Despite the dark night with only little light illuminating the area where he was at the moment, for some reason that drawing seemed to glow a bit in the dark. He couldn't tell what kind of trick his mother did to make it happen. Even still, it was enough to make him smile even a bit.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you? That girl you met at that time," a voice from behind Conrad nearly startled him but he remained firm.

Upon turning around, he was surprised to see Yuri approaching him. But his surprise immediately dissipated when the Maoh's words finally registered in his mind. "That girl? Your Majesty, how did you-"

"It's Yuri, Nazukeoya," Yuri interjected with a smile which was soon replaced with a sad one. "I'm really sorry, Conrad. Though I didn't want to pry, I guess curiosity really consumed me that time. I can't help it. I was worried because you've been acting weird since the topic about the Beast Knights was brought up."

Conrad remained silent, though, which urged Yuri to continue speaking.

"I used the demon mirror to let me see the Beast Knight you've met that time. But don't worry, I only did that once," Yuri added, nearly flustering that made Conrad smile.

The Maoh sighed in relief at the sight of that. He really thought Conrad would scold him terribly for what he did, despite knowing that the soldier wasn't the type of person who would do something like that.

"Then... what part of my past with her that you saw in the mirror?"

"Only the first time that you met Lyall. You said before that you met an Esovian Mazoku who belong to a certain family, right? Does Lyall belong to that family?"

Conrad nodded and looked at the night sky. There were no stars in sight at the time but he could tell that it wasn't something ominous. At the same time, he felt Yuri approaching him and stopped beside him.

"The Central Aristocratic Family is the other term of the family that Lyall belonged to-the House of Amrein. In Esovia, there are Five Aristocratic Families that governed the different regions of that country."

"Are they just like Shin Makoku's Ten Noble Families?" Yuri asked in which Conrad answered with a nod.

"As I told you, the House of Amrein is the Central Aristocratic Family since they governed the central region, including the capital because they were previously the ruling family of Esovia. The House of Hagelin rules the southern region of Esovia, thus they were known as the Southern Aristocratic Family. The House of Vluerona is the ruling family of Esovia's eastern region and they were known as the Eastern Aristocratic Family. As for the northern region, it was the Northern Aristocratic Family who governed it and they belonged to the House of Reinhardt. And lastly, the Western Aristocratic Family known as the House of Kaiser ruled the western region of Esovia," Conrad explained which only left Yuri in awe.

The Maoh couldn't believe that Conrad was keeping that much information in him. "But how come you didn't mention that to the others, Conrad? Was it because Klaus told you before to keep it a secret?"

"It's my choice to protect that secret with my life, if deemed necessary. The same way I devoted myself to protect you. Prince Klaus had nothing to do with it. He gave me the right to tell the truth to the others if I felt it that it was the right thing to do. I only kept quiet until now because I just don't want to ruin the trust that Lyall had given to me when she told me about Esovia and the Beast Knights' existence." Upon saying that, however, Conrad couldn't hide the sadness that always consumed him each time he remembered anything that concerned Lyall.

Yuri wasn't the only one who noticed that, though. The others, especially Gwendal and Yozak, didn't know how to react to what they had seen on Conrad's face as he talked to Yuri. They had no idea what could they be talking about at all. But it was surely something which was powerful enough to crumble Conrad's defenses and let him show those emotions.

Silence surrounded the young king and the soldier for quite some time. It was only broken when Yuri saw the scroll on Conrad's hand.

"What is that on your hand, by the way?" Yuri asked as he pointed at the item in question.

Conrad nearly forgot that he was holding the scroll. That was when he remembered that he was supposed to look at its content.

"Mother gave this to me before we left," Conrad said as he looked at the drawing of the flower once again.

"Cherie-sama did? But why would she do that? In any case, what is it?"

"I have no idea since I haven't looked at it ever since Mother handed it to me."

Before Yuri could say anything, Conrad decided to unfurl it. But he froze at what greeted his sight.

"Lyall…" Conrad uttered subconsciously as he continued to look at the portrait drawn on that scroll. He didn't know his mother was holding something like this.

As for Yuri, he was amazed at the sight of the portrait of a very beautiful woman on that scroll. She was wearing a quasi-Chinese silk robe in mint green and silver colors. Come to think of it, Lady Yunsoo in her portrait drawn on the journal was wearing a similar clothing. Could this be the traditional clothing of the Esovian Mazoku's founders?

"Woah... She grew up even more beautiful than how she was when you first met her, Conrad," Yuri could only say in amazement as he continued looking at the portrait.

Even without Conrad saying anything, Yuri could immediately tell that the beautiful woman on the portrait was indeed Lady Lyall Corliss Amrein. She maintained her silvery green hair long, it seemed. It was even styled in a way that made her truly look regal and elegant. She looked so sweet and gentle in the portrait that it was hard to believe for those who didn't know her that she was, in fact, one of the six Beast Knights of her time.

"What will happen when we finally reach the island, Conrad? Will you be able to see her after all this time?"

"I'm afraid that's impossible, Yuri..." Conrad uttered in melancholy.

The Maoh frowned at Conrad's words. "What do you mean impossible? You're not going to see her at all?"

"Even though I want to, it won't happen at all. She died 25 years ago, Yuri."

 **xxxxxx**

For Yuri to know that Conrad was affiliated to a Beast Knight was shocking enough. But for him to learn the same Beast Knight was already dead... Honestly speaking, he didn't know what to say or feel about it. When he first heard of it from Conrad, he was seriously left speechless. Though his godfather tried to act in front of him that it was alright, Yuri could still see that it hurt Conrad to some extent.

The Maoh heaved quite a depressing sigh as he thought about that. It was more than enough to catch Wolfram and Murata's attention, though.

"It looks like Lord Weller had given you more issues to think about with the way you're sighing right now, Shibuya," Murata commented as lightly as he could.

But Yuri didn't respond to that. This time, the other three males Gwendal, Shori, and Yozak had their focus shifted to the deeply thinking young king.

"What's wrong, Yuri?" Shori couldn't help asking.

"I think it was a bad idea to bring Conrad along now that I heard the story." Though Yuri said it as softly as he could, it was still audible enough for the others to hear, which left them all confused.

"What do you mean, Yuri?"

"Conrad appeared to have an even deeper connection to the Esovian Mazoku than we ever thought. He said the Beast Knight he met before… died 25 years ago."

Surprise filled the air upon hearing that. The others exchanged glances looking for answers to their unspoken questions.

"If it was 25 years ago, then it was before the Mazoku's war against the humans. It was before Julia died," Wolfram said that soon broke the tensed silence. "I never knew… he lost another important person that time. He lost that person… and then Julia not long after."

"All of us didn't know that," Gwendal suddenly spoke in a firm tone. "So there's no reason for you to only blame yourself, Wolfram."

"But Brother-"

"Gwendal's right, Wolfram," Yuri soon cut off Wolfram's words. "We had no idea at all. Conrad kept it all to himself all this time."

But Murata, who remained silent for the long time since he last said something, suddenly spoke. "I don't think Lord Weller kept it all to himself, Shibuya."

Yuri faced his friend with a frown. "Are you saying that someone else in Shin Makoku knew about Lyall besides Conrad?"

"Lyall?"

That was when Yuri clamped his mouth. Damn it! Conrad would surely kill him. Why was he blurting out everything all of a sudden?

"Mothers know best, Shibuya. It wasn't just Lord Weller who was acting weird ever since the Beast Knight topic was brought up," Murata stated.

It didn't take long for the others to realize what the Daikenja was talking about.

"Then Your Grace, are you talking about Cherie-sama? She knew about this Beast Knight that Conrad met before?" Yozak inquired simultaneously.

"There is that possiblity. We still don't have any idea on what she knew about that topic concerning Lord Weller and the Wind Tiger Knight. But whatever it is that she knew, she made it her duty to protect it for Lord Weller's sake. Losing this Lyall person was already something painful for him to bear. As a mother, Lady von Spitzberg could only help her son this way," Murata explained.

No one was able to say anything after that. Who would be, when they knew that Murata had a point? But to think such story existed...

"By the way, Shibuya," Murata soon said, catching the Maoh's attention. "I'm betting you used the demon mirror to have an idea about that Wind Tiger Knight. Anything else you found out about that person?"

All Yuri did was to scratch the back of his head as the others stared at him. Well, he was guilty about that, anyway. But soon after, his expression turned serious. "I only used it once, Murata. For some reason, even though I had a lot of opportunity to use the demon mirror again to know more about her, I couldn't find myself doing it again. I told Conrad the same thing when we were talking a while back. I also apologized for doing such thing as looking for his past in the demon mirror."

But out of all the things that Yuri said, there was one that caught the others' attention.

"'Her'? Then you're saying that the Beast Knight Conrad met a long time ago was a girl?"

"Shibuya, you said that her name was Lyall, right? Do you know her full name?"

Yuri nodded. "I was able to know that using the demon mirror. Her full name was Lyall Corliss Amrein. Conrad said that she belonged to the Central Aristocratic Family. What about it?"

Murata was the one who became silent this time. But his silence was sonething that spelled a certain news to Shori.

"Don't tell me you know her, my younger brother's friend?"

The Daikenja shook his head. "No. But I know that the House of Amrein was founded by two of the original Beast Knights Lord Chunho of the Lee clan and Lady Hyorin of the Yin clan. They were the ones who married each other out of the six Beast Knights. Because of that, the House of Amrein became the ruling house of the Kingdom of Esovia."

"But according to Conrad, the monarchy system of that country was already abolished around the same time the war between the Mazoku and the humans broke out. And yet the House of Amrein remained as the ruling house?"

"Something must have happened between the time Lady Lyall died and the war broke out for Esovia's monarchy system to disappear just like what Conrad told us," Gwendal stated which earned him a nod from Murata.

"It's like you're saying that her death triggered something for that to happen in the end," Shori commented soon after.

"I don't know if we'll be able to discover the truth behind that. But if it has something to do with what happened ages ago around the same time as the era of Esovia's founders, then perhaps-"

"She died… because of a curse," a voice soon interrupted Murata which surprised everyone.

When they looked around to find the source, they all saw Conrad by the door looking solemnly at them.

"Conrad..." Yuri could only say.

"Klaus told me that Lyall used her body as a vessel of the curse that once caused havoc to Esovia a long time ago," Conrad continued as he finally entered the room.

"If it was the same curse that wiped out the members of the royal family during Lady Yunsoo's time, then I can understand what happened for the ruling house to finally abolish the monarchy system. Lady Amrein used her own body to save the members of the royal family."

"But why would she do that?"

"If she did that much to save the royal family, I'm now guessing the reason for her to do that was to ensure the past won't repeat itself. She sacrificed herself in order to make sure the royal family won't be wiped out again," Murata said as an answer to Wolfram's question.

The others noticed Conrad's silence which only made the said soldier sigh. Soon after, he faced the Daikenja. "Your Grace, do you think the curse has something to do with the Phantasma and the presence that you said was similar to Soushu?"

Tensed silence surrounded them once again. But it didn't last long.

"I have no idea, to be honest, Lord Weller," Murata replied. "Why would you ask such a thing?"

"Three years after Lyall died, Klaus said that the Phantasma attacked Esovia in order to retrieve her body to be used as a core to create more Phantasma."

What Conrad said, however, was enough for Murata to realize something. "Wait a minute, Lord Weller. Use her body to become the core? Are you saying that Lady Amrein wasn't just an elite member of the House of Amrein?"

With a frown, Conrad nodded and decided to tell the truth. "Lyall was the youngest child of the last queen of Esovia, Queen Roheis Imayne Amrein. She was also Klaus' younger sister."


	6. Entering Esovia

**CHAPTER 6 - Entering Esovia**

It appeared that their calculation about the island's location was accurate. On the fourth day of their travel, they finally spotted the island that matched the description in Lady Yunsoo's journal and that of Conrad's. Of course, it was expected that the brown-haired soldier would surely had mixed feelings about all these. But then all they could see was a nonchalant expression.

As Murata described, it was a perfect cover-up for all the emotions surely lurking in Conrad at the moment as soon as they saw the island. The island looked ordinary, but even Gwendal and Wolfram could tell that it was lurking with mysterious powers. Perhaps that mysterious power was what had kept the island moving for the past 4 millenia.

"It looked like a lot of people were visiting this place, judging from all the foreign ships by the harbor," Yuri commented as he continued to look at the island.

"They still have relations to other countries, it seems. But from what I can see, none of these visitors ever managed to step inside the capital," Murata said with a serious expression.

"So it's possible that these visitors doesn't know the existence of the Beast Knights or the fact that they're dealing with Mazoku," Gwendal speculated.

"You could say that."

"I wonder what Aristocratic Family was in charge of these ports," Yuri mumbled.

"The House of Vluerona govern this part of the island," Conrad stated, speaking for the first time. "They're the ones handling outside trades and anything related to the water resources of the island."

No one was able to say anything after that. When Yuri looked at Conrad, he just saw the soldier looking at the island. This time, with a melancholic expression that Conrad couldn't possibly hide anymore.

"Has anyone thought of a way for us to pass the guards by the sea borders?" Murata suddenly asked, pointing to the direction of the island where four military ships with blue swordfish and lance designed flags waving with the wind were on standby.

Yuri couldn't help wincing at the sight. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought of that part. "Now what should we do?"

"I'll handle this, Your Majesty," Conrad said which surprised the rest of them.

When Yuri looked at Conrad, he couldn't see any emotion on the soldier's face once again. How would Conrad be able to handle passing by the military ships and the soldiers guarding the borders?

The answer soon revealed itself when Conrad took out something from his pocket. Only Murata let out a surprised sound when he finally saw the item that Conrad was keeping.

"Isn't that... the crest of the House of Amrein?"

Conrad nodded and faced the Daikenja who asked that question. "Klaus gave this to me as a parting gift the last time we talked. That was 3 years after Lyall died."

"I've been meaning to ask this to you, Lord Weller," Murata said soon after. "But what division does Lyall and Klaus belonged to?"

"Division?"

Murata nodded. "Since the House of Amrein originated from two original Beast Knights marrying each other, it was divided into two divisions. The Sky Falcon and the Cosmic Stallion. Each of which referred to the characteristics of its founders. Or to be more specific, the minor Beast Spirits under the governance of their respective Beast Spirits among the well-known six."

"Are you saying that they had more than six Beast Spirits, Your Grace?"

"From the last time I checked, there's a total of 210 Beast Spirits recorded since the ancient times," Murata informed.

Without a doubt, his revelation surprised everyone. Who would've thought that such information existed? A total of 210? It was more than enough to send several rulers of other nations into frenzy when they discover this. Could this be the reason why the Esovian Mazoku separated themselves even from their fellow Mazoku?

Murata faced Conrad once more with a look that demanded an answer from his earlier question.

"The Sky Falcon division, Your Grace," Conrad replied with a sigh before facing the Daikenja with a serious expression. "Lyall and Klaus' father belonged to that division, making those two the legitimate successors to the throne of Esovia had not the war ocurred that time and Lyall died before that."

"We'll worry about that information later. Right now, let's deal with this problem before anything else," Gwendal reminded which immediately returned their focus on the current issue.

Soon after, their ship stopped near one of the military ships in charge of guarding the sea borders of that area. The others were not exactly sure on how would Conrad be able to help them escape interrogation, or worse, capture. They could only put their trust on him for now.

Two of the guards on the other ship jumped forward and boarded Yuri's ship. Conrad approached them and gave his greetings.

"We need to see your entry permit," one of the guards stiffly said.

Conrad sighed before taking out the crest he possessed. "We don't have entry permit, since our visit here is just sudden and we're here on an urgent business. I'm not sure if this would be enough as a pass." He showed the crest to the guards.

The others waited with bated breath as to how it would turn out. To their surprise, the guards gasped as soon as they saw the crest.

"That's the Sky Falcon Division's crest..." the second guard uttered in surprise before he regained his composure and faced Conrad. "May we know your name?"

"Conrad Weller."

The others were surprised yet again when the two guards bowed down, as if to give their greetings. "Please forgive our rudeness. We didn't know it was you, Lord Weller."

"What do you mean?"

The first guard straightened himself. "Lord Klaus Elirch Amrein had always been expecting you to return to this island all this time. He told us that you would be using the crest of the Sky Falcon Division as an entry permit to this island should you decide to return here. It's been 25 years. I'm sure Lord Amrein would be happy to see you."

Conrad wasn't exactly sure on how to respond to that statement. Klaus was expecting him to return to the island? Nevertheless, he was glad that Klaus hadn't forgotten him. The same way he had never forgotten anything related to Lyall and the Beast Knights.

"I'm honored to hear that. But as I told you a while back, we're here on an urgent matter."

The second guard nodded. "We understand. But before we let you pass, may we know who are your companions? We're tasked to report this to the leaders of the Five Aristocratic Families as to avoid suspicions."

Conrad immediately complied and introduced Yuri and the others to them.

"M-Maoh? His Majesty the Maoh?"

Yuri nodded skeptically, seeing the reactions of the guards.

"Even the Daikenja is here..."

It didn't take long for the guards to regain their composures once more. Finally, they allowed Yuri's ship to pass the sea borders. But not without leaving a warning with regards to the path they were about to take going to the capital itself.

Yuri was able to breathe out a sigh of relief after that. "Thank goodness. I thought it would take us longer to pass those guards."

"But to think that Klaus was expecting you to return to this island... Conrad, do you know this?" Shori ventured when he saw the said soldier eyeing the crest on his hand.

Conrad shook his head. "He never said anything like that, even during the last time we talked."

"He probably wants you to return here on your own discretion," Murata said as soon as he approached Conrad. "Knowing your connection to the last Esovian princess, asking you to return here as a favor was like putting salt on a slowly healing wound."

"We've now passed the first obstacle," Gwendal said. "Our greatest concern next would be the Forest of Illusions that the guards were talking about."

 **XXXXXXXXX**

Seriously speaking, the more Yuri and the others approached the area that they were required to pass through in order to get to the capital, the more their anxiety intensified. They had no idea what to expect as soon as they reach the forest. But the guards by the sea border warned them about going through the usual path.

According to them, the usual path which was a valley was sealed off after the Esovian Mazoku's war against the attacking Phantasma. The guards didn't state the reason why. But from the tone of their voices, it wasn't a good one. It was the first time that Conrad had heard of such a forest existing in Esovia.

"Why would they seal off a completely safe path going to the capital?" Yuri wondered out loud as they continued traversing the path.

"They made it sound as if it was similar to Mt. Makadira back in Shin Makoku," Murata responded.

"But that doesn't make this Forest of Illusions the same to Mt. Makadira?" Wolfram asked.

"If it is like that, those soldiers should've already kept quiet about not going to the usual path," Shori stated. "But they didn't. Considering that they were already expecting Conrad to return here, for them to warn us about the valley was enough proof that they still cared for our welfare and success to reach the capital."

Yuri remained quiet since he knew his brother had a point. But why did they choose the Forest of Illusions as an alternative path to go to the capital? His mind couldn't stop thinking and imagining about the possible scenarios to happen once they reached it. All of them always ended up with something worse.

As for Conrad, he was quiet the whole time. Ever since he rode the horse that one of the guards had lent to them for travel use, he hadn't said a word at all. Many questions kept on swirling in his head after hearing those words from the guards. Why was Klaus still expecting all this time for him to return to Esovia? The last Esovian prince never even demanded that or made it as a favor. Could it be that Murata was right? Klaus wanted him to return to Esovia on his own volition?

"There's no point in keeping everything to yourself, Lord Weller."

Those words startled the said soldier before rashly facing the source of it. Though Murata's focus was on the path that they were traversing, the Daikenja's attention was on him.

"Your Grace..."

"Remembering those memories now that you've returned here and visit Esovia again was probably painful for you. But I'm pretty sure your friend wouldn't want you feeling this way at all," Murata continued. "What I said earlier was just a hunch. I have no idea what Lord Amrein was actually thinking when he gave that crest to you. But if it was just like what I said, it could only mean he was truly thankful to you."

Conrad couldn't help frowning at those words. "Thankful... to me?"

"He's thankful...that someone like you remained by his sister's side until the end."

Before the soldier could say anything in response to that, he suddenly felt something as if cold water washed over him. Not just him. The others appeared to have felt the same thing. He thought of that when he looked around to check if he wasn't imagining about that at all.

"Your Grace..." Conrad called

Murata responded with a grave nod. "It looks like we've entered the forest's barrier. From here on, I guess we'll start facing problems."

Yuri immediately faced his friend. "What do you mean, Murata?"

"If my hunch is correct, this forest... was something that Lady Yunsoo created in order to confuse outsiders. Shinou said that his sister would usually create something that caused confusion to the point of leading her enemies to their deaths by their own hands. That power to create deadly illusions was one reason why the entirety of the Min clan members were eliminated. But not by Soushu or his army."

"Your Grace, are you saying that Lady Yunsoo's clan was obliterated by the Phantasma?" Gwendal queried upon understanding the meaning of Murata's story.

The Daikenja nodded. "Shinou was able to witness the last moments of the attack on the Min clan, even the power that Lady Yunsoo displayed to destroy all of the attackers with one powerful spell. She was the only survivor of that attack."

"Could it be that Lady Yunsoo already discovered the power of the Beast Spirits even before she was adopted and became Shinou's sister?" Shori asked.

"Among the six Esovian founders, she was the last to discover and acquire its power. The first was the daughter of the Yi clan's leader who was also the first queen of Esovia, Lady Hyorin. She was also the strongest in terms of maryoku and physical strength. Lady Yunsoo was the deadliest in terms of maryoku because of her illusions. Lady Jihae, though always known as a gentle woman, was dangerous because of her ability to adapt to any situation, especially in the battlefield. The first king of Esovia and Lady Hyorin's husband Lord Chunho was revered for his incredible strength, strategy, and ability to quickly analyze his opponents, making him the Daikenja of the Beast Knights. Lord Namgi was admired for his accuracy and precision, making each of his attacks as deadly as that of Lady Yunsoo's and Lady Hyorin's. Lastly, Lord Taewon was famous for his speed, allowing him to support his comrades in the battlefield almost all at the same time. With Lady Yunsoo's help, Shinou was able to convince the other five Beast Knights into helping him with the war against Soushu," Murata explained.

"I can't believe they're nearly as extraordinary as Shinou," Yuri commented. Even Wolfram agreed to the Maoh's words.

Gwendal was the first to discover that Conrad wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all. But he could at least tell that it had nothing to do with the "travel down the memory lane" moments. In fact, Conrad's eyes were focused and narrowed, as if analyzing something.

"What's wrong, Conrad?"

That question shifted everyone's focus on the said soldier. Conrad's eyes remained the same even with all the attention focused on him.

"This is strange. The illusions should've started working by now," Conrad said in a soft yet firm and wary tone.

"He's right. And yet, this forest isn't even doing anything to throw us off," Murata replied, his voice was laced with worry and caution.

"Stop saying things like you're expecting something to happen, Murata."

"Because that's the truth, Shibuya. Something should've already happened the moment we entered that barrier. Whether you admit it or not, we're still considered outsiders. The barrier and this forest should've already done something to cast us out. And yet-" Murata's words were interrupted, however, when he felt something fast approaching them. He looked up to see who or what it was.

All of them were surprised to see s lone cloaked figure who seemed to have jumped up and now, was about to attack them. The three brothers and Yozak unsheathed their swords as soon as they got off of their horses. It looked like the problem Murata was talking about a while back had finally happened.

The cloaked attacker unsheathed his sword, as well, and landed clean strikes on each of Yuri's subjects. Though they were able to block each of it despite the struggle, one thing was certain.

"His attacks are precise. His swordsmanship style is also different," Gwendal commented, his grip on his sword tightened.

"There's only one attacker, and yet it feels like he could finish us off all alone," a frustrated Wolfram soon added.

"The guards never said anything about this forest having a guardian, though. Do you think the magic of this forest dissipated over time?" Yozak asked without removing his eyes on their attacker.

"I don't think that's the case. There's another reason why the forest's illusion didn't work the moment we entered here," Murata answered with his eyes narrowed.

"And it looks like this person isn't an illusion at all with the way he's attacking," Shori commented.

"Could it be that he's testing us?" Yuri could only wonder.

For a fleeting moment, they noticed that their attacker shifted which told them that he became distracted. Even Yuri was able to notice that.

"Those voices..." Some of them heard, which gave a surprise since they heard a feminine voice.

Could it be an effeminate man? Or was their attacker...a strong and skilled female?

"Please stand back, Your Majesty. Do so, as well, Your Grace, Shori," Conrad requested in which only two of the aforementioned people obliged.

But Shori unmounted the horse he was using and stood beside Conrad.

"'Your Majesty'? 'Your Grace'?" The cloaked figure mumbled once more in confusion. Soon after, they heard a gasp from that person which soon dropped their guard a little.

What could have surprised this person?

"No way..."

This time, they were sure of one thing. Their opponent was a female. Yuri and Shori remained staring at the figure in disbelief. It appeared that the Shibuya brothers were surprised upon figuring something out about their attacker.

"This is a joke, right? Maybe a product of this forest's illusions," Yuri could only utter in disbelief and surprise.

The others were confused as to why the Maoh would say such a thing. But the answer to that soon revealed itself when their female attacker removed the hood of her cloak that blocked the view of her face. This time, even Murata couldn't help gaping in surprise at the sight.

"Mari-san?"


	7. Meeting And Familiarity

**CHAPTER 7 – Meeting And Familiarity**

"Yuri-kun? Shori? Murata-kun, too?"

"Mari-san? Is that really you?" Yuri could only ask in disbelief and also because he had to make sure that what he was seeing in front of him at the moment was the truth.

That the identity of the cloaked warrior attacking them earlier was none other than Yuri's mentor on Earth and one of Shori's childhood friends, Akiyama Mari.

But the young woman's initial response was a burst of short laugh, as if relieved, followed by a wide smile that only confirmed Yuri's suspicion that the cloaked woman was indeed his mentor.

"I can't believe it. What are you three doing here?" Mari inquired as she sheathed her sword, which Murata and Shori soon noticed was a nodachi, one of the blade weapons that they were familiar with as a Japanese one. And they also knew that it was one of Mari's specializations.

The other soldiers knew that it was safe for now, so they put back their swords back to their sheaths. But the confusion they felt because of the sudden turn of events didn't dissipate one bit. In fact, it was intensified because of the interaction among the four people.

"Shouldn't we be asking that to you? How come you're here in this world?" Shori asked back as he approached Mari.

Mari sighed and looked at Shori. "I've been going back and forth to this world since I was sixteen. Trust me, that came as a shock to me at first. But eventually, I learned to accept it since it's something that you can call my destiny."

"Then… you've been here for that long, Mari-san?"

She nodded. "Yes. I've been trained for that long as a warrior guarding this island. But you haven't answered my question at all. What are you three doing here? And I mean, to this island? Who gave you the access to go here?"

Yuri was about to answer but Murata soon intervened. "Sorry about that, Akiyama-san. But we're in a bit of a situation right now. That's why we're here."

The woman frowned at that. "A situation? What do you mean?"

In a shortest time possible, the three Soukoku men were able to explain the events and situations that led them to go to Esovia. The atmosphere around soon became thick with tension. It was evident in Mari's grave expression as she appeared to be thinking deeply, as well before focusing her attention once again to them.

"A possible Phantasma attack? If it's true… then I won't wonder why the dragons here had been acting really strange lately. Since when did it start?"

"If I would calculate it in this world's timeline, that would have been three weeks ago," Murata answered grimly.

Mari was nodding soon after. "That's exactly the same time the dragons began acting strange." She sighed and tapped her forehead slightly. "A Phantasma attack to this day? That would surely cause chaos to the people living here if they find that out."

"Mari," Shori called out, making the woman's focus shifted to the older Shibuya. "Before we get right to the topic, can I ask you something?"

The said woman frowned slightly at that. "About what? If you're going to ask about me and the reason why I've been in this world for so long, I'll answer that later. Right now—"

"No, that's not it. It's about this forest."

"This forest? What about it?"

"Does the magic of this forest already disappeared?" Yuri asked the question this time, sensing that it was probably what the others had been curious to know if it was about the location that they were currently at.

"I don't get what you mean."

Murata sighed before deciding to speak. "From what I can see, this forest was protected with Lady Yunsoo's illusory ability and it was one of the possible locations protecting the Esovian Mazoku living in this island. But when we entered here, it seems that the forest didn't cast any illusion to distract us or even destroy us."

"Murata-kun, now I think you have an active imagination." Mari smiled a bit and shook her head, appeared to have been amused with those words. The others were confused at that but she soon spoke. "It's true that this forest was alive in a way because of Lady Yunsoo's ability to cast illusion, but it's not as deadly as you all thought it was. The worst thing the forest illusion could do to any strangers trying to get to this island—specifically to those intending to head to the capital—is to remove the memories of those people, especially if the barrier around the forest itself would sense some ill intentions."

"Then why didn't the forest do something like that to us when we entered here?" This time, it was Wolfram who asked the question.

"Does any of you had any ill intentions to this place?" Mari asked back instead of answering.

No one could say a word about that. But it was because Mari's words already answered the Mazoku's own question with regards to the mystery of that forest.

"Lady Yunsoo made an exception about the illusion that she put to this forest. As long as the people who would enter this forest won't have any ill motives and intentions to anything and anyone in this island, the illusion would be put on hold to allow those people to enter without any hassle. As simple as that."

The rest of them just nodded as a sign that they finally understood the situation.

"But this is really unbelievable. Yuri-kun as a Maoh? I thought the only thing you could lead was your baseball team back on Earth," Mari joked with a smile.

Yuri scratched the back of his head as he smiled shyly. Of course, the sight had infuriated Wolfram (no surprise about that) since the scenario appeared to the blond Mazoku that Yuri was flirting with a woman. But before he could even do anything to try anything to strangle the young Maoh, Gwendal spoke.

"Forgive me for ruining the mood. But we're in a hurry to see Lord Amrein. We need his help with regards to the Phantasma attacks that the kingdom is facing recently."

"Why Klaus?"

"Of course, he's the only one we knew that came from this island, Mari. At least, Conrad knew him and we're hoping that maybe he could lend us a hand about the situation right now," Shori answered this time.

Mari frowned. "Conrad? You're not possibly talking about Lord Conrart Weller, aren't you?"

"You knew him, Mari-san?" Yuri excitedly asked.

"Only by name," Mari answered with a smile. "Klaus would mention him most of the time. He said that he's one of the few people outside of Esovia that he could entrust his life with. Trust me, that's a rare thing for that guy to say to us." Soon after, Mari became serious and faced the four other men accompanying her friends from Earth. "Don't tell me… He's here? He's with you right now?"

Conrad soon stepped forward and bowed down in front of Mari who was perplexed for a moment at the soldier's sudden action. But it was only for a short while. She regained her composure after that and gave respect to the said soldier.

"You must be him, huh? The soldier that Klaus would always talk about to us."

The soldier nodded and properly introduced himself to Mari. "Yes, that's me. Lord Conrart Weller. I'm the second son of the previous Maoh and Yuri's bodyguard."

Mari nodded and bowed, as well. "It's nice to finally meet you. And thank you… for always protecting Yuri." She was sincere about that part, considering that she was aware of the fact on how dangerous the other world could be. It didn't take long before she remembered something. "I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself to you. My name's Mari. Akiyama Mari. And as you know now, I'm Yuri's mentor on Earth and Shori's childhood friend."

The others introduced themselves, as well, to the woman despite the sudden turn of the situation for all of them.

"Now this is really weird coming from you, Mari," Shori soon commented that changed the others' focus to him.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't usually befriend people this easy, considering that you just met them now. Aside from that, you already believed that Conrad was really the person that Klaus was mentioning to you. How are you able to do that in this world?"

But Mari smiled mysteriously and turned around, deciding to just keep quiet about the matter.

"That's because of her ability that she was able to gain the moment she first appeared to this world," a woman's voice said that made Mari stop to her tracks and sighed in defeat.

When the rest of them turned to the source of that voice, another shock came to Yuri, Shori and Murata upon seeing who it was.

"Rina-senpai?" Murata blurted out.

"Yo!"Rina smiled cheekily to Murata and even did a two-finger salute.

"Even you, Rina?" Shori also couldn't help blurting out his surprise to see another familiar face in that world.

"Yes, even me. But I was brought here two months after Mari."

Mari turned around and faced her friend. "Seriously, Rina. Shouldn't you be guarding the west part of the forest?"

"I got curious since things had gotten a bit quiet in this area so I decided to check it out. I never thought our kouhai and even our friend would be the reason for that to happen." Soon after, Rina faced the four soldiers just watching them. "I'm Harusaki Rina, Mari's best friend and Murata-kun's mentor back on Earth."

"Do you mind if I ask you two about your role in this island? You don't seem to be normal warriors just guarding this forest," Yozak managed to ask that question.

To their confusion, both Mari and Rina looked at each other, as if deciding together whether or not they would tell the truth.

"I think it's better if I let Klaus tell you everything. And you should tell him everything that's going on to Shin Makoku, as well." In the end, Mari said those words.

 **XXXXXXX**

As the Maoh and his retainers walked the forest with the two women they met along the way as their guide, Conrad remained silent the entire time. He did manage to act natural around with everyone. But as soon as he laid eyes on Yuri's mentor, something stuck him with a sense of familiarity that he really considered weird. Why would he feel that now, of all times?

Yes, he was already on the island where Lyall was born, raised, and died all together. This was the island special to her and the land she protected even after she died. But the familiar feeling that was bothering him at the moment wasn't meant on the island, but to the woman named Akiyama Mari.

It was always a wonder to Conrad on how he could still know the feeling related to Lyall even thugh she'd been gone for more than two decades now. But he was sure of it this time. Mari's appearance made him realize that feeling again. But why? Why could he only feel that towards Mari?

He was sure of one thing. She was nothing like Lyall wherever he looked at it. And yet…

"Conrad, what's wrong?"

That question brought him out of his reverie and upon looking around, he saw Yuri worriedly looking at him. That made him stop to his tracks. But he was surprised soon after to see the others had also stopped to their tracks and were now looking at him with concern.

Damn it! Does this have to happen now?

"I'm sorry," were the only words that Conrad managed to say and even bowed after that. But for some reason, there was a part of him that told him those words were meant for Mari. Why was that?

Moments later, he heard someone sigh that made him raise his head to see who it was. To his surprise, Mari was already just a few feet in front of him.

"I might not be able to give you a good advice if it would involve the dead princess. But I still hope you'll remain strong whatever it is that you'll learn about her along the way. Two and a half decades had passed since her death and I believe you never learned anymore about this land after that."

The soldier remained quiet since he couldn't think of any words to counter that. But before he could say something, Mari spoke once again. This time, with an understanding smile on her face.

"But I'm sure Klaus won't be that heartless of a person to blame you for something that's not even your fault. The proof was the crest that he gave you that one last time."

At that point, Conrad couldn't hide the surprise on his face. "How did you know about that?"

"He told me, though I had to force that out from him." Mari shrugged after that.

"Mari-san, even in this world, you sure bring out your tenacity, huh?" Yuri commented with a nervous laugh. Being the young woman's student for quite some time now, he was already familiar with some of her personality.

"To a guy like Klaus, I really need to be tenacious, especially when I need to know something important from him."

Soon after, Murata began asking that one crucial question. "Have you met the Beast Knights of this era, Akiyama-san?"

The said woman's expression became somber in an instant that stiffened the rest of the group. Was there something wrong with the question?

"Mari?" Shori called out, hoping that it would somewhat dissipate that serious atmosphere.

"Do you want to know?" Mari asked instead of directly answering the first question. As for Rina, she was just looking at Mari placidly.

Murata nodded. "We didn't know what happened to the Beast Knights after this land dealt with the war against the Phantasma that soon abolished the monarchy system of this kingdom. From what Lord Weller mentioned to us before, Lord Amrein was one of the current Beast Knights. Unless, of course, something happened that made him pass on his position to his successor."

"Klaus is still the Light Eagle Knight and the current leader of the Beast Knights, though he was already training his successor so that when the time comes, that person would be ready," Mari explained. "To tell the truth, only two Beast Knights remained until now since that war. The other four died and I believe you already know that Princess Lyall was one of those four."

"Mari-san, do you know the identity of the three Beast Knights who died during the war?" Yuri asked.

The woman nodded and sighed before speaking. "Yes, I do know them, but only by name since I never actually met them personally. But I'll tell you about it once we managed to talk things through with Klaus since I think that's of paramount importance not just for you guys but also for us who live here in Esovia."

The others couldn't agree more with Mari's suggestion.


End file.
